


i will keep tongue-tied (this time)

by ifimightchime



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (and Pepper is his PA), (author intent was pre-relationship but it never gets that far), Alternate Universe, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Pining, Rhodey is tech legacy billionaire building Iron Man, Tony is his lab assistant, Treat, just so much pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifimightchime/pseuds/ifimightchime
Summary: Tony has a crush on his boss, Rhodey has a new toy to play with, and Pepper's just enjoying the show.





	i will keep tongue-tied (this time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aponyforyourthroney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aponyforyourthroney/gifts).



> Dear prompter: I saw your request for these two before assignments went out, and I fell in love with it immediately. I never got to the "full time crime fighters" part of the AU, but I hope you like it anyway.

The truth is, Tony has a lot of regrets -- he’d say that it takes a much, much better man than he’s ever tried to be to live a life that's _really_ without regrets. He has more regrets than he has robots in progress, and since he never seems to get the ones that aren't for work out of the ‘in progress’ stage, that’s a _lot_ of robots, and a lot of regrets.

But he never really regrets walking away from SHIELD. Doesn’t regret turning his back on his father’s military-spy-government legacy and making his way through college with loans and scholarships instead. Kinda regretted taking the low-level position in the Rhodes labs, but only for about two weeks, before he bumped into the son of the CEO. _Definitely_ doesn’t regret wowing him and getting assigned as Rhodey’s lab assistant, working on personal and sensitive projects as the future company leader’s right-hand man.

It’s just, sometimes it’s a little hard to remember that he doesn’t regret it. Sometimes. When his boss -- who is also, after almost ten years of working side-by-side and getting to know each other, Tony’s only real friend, besides his boss’ PA, who is fantastic and gorgeous and scarily competent -- is… well, also being fantastic and gorgeous and scarily competent, that's the problem. And Pepper is great and all, but her being a badass about scheduling, paperwork, and charming lesser PAs is much less regret-and-whining inducing than Rhodey being a badass about taking Tony’s weapons background, and Rhodey's own general tech and mechanics expertise, and turning it into something new and exciting and _asking Tony to do it with him_. He could probably handle the rest of it if Rhodey didn’t want Tony to join him in this probably-insane venture, and thinking about that is making the butterflies in Tony’s stomach reproduce at exponential rates.

Tony isn’t sure how much of his thoughts are actually getting from brain to mouth, especially with him face-down on a lab table, but it’s enough to make Pepper pat his shoulder and look like she wants to laugh.

“Tony,” she says, sounding overly patient in a way that can only mean one thing. (Well, one thing, or it can mean that if he doesn’t take a break she’s going to get Rhodey to give him to week off against his will. Sometimes it means that.) “Jim will be back in a minute. Stop pining and let me measure you.”

“I’m not pining,” he objects, obediently standing up and holding his arms up. “I’m just--”

“Whining?” Pepper interrupt smoothly, looking innocent, and Tony sighs. “Tony, you’ve been mooning over Jim since I was hired. Why don’t you just say something?”

“Boss?” Tony suggests, pulling his arms in to tick the reasons off on his fingers even though it makes Pepper grumble. “Straight? Signs my paychecks? I’m _horrible_ at relationships, that’s why I don’t have relationships? Knows me too well? _Still_ my boss?”

“You can’t know if you’re bad at relationships if you don’t have them, and you two would do the same thing you do now if you stopped working here,” Pepper says, grabbing his arms and straightening them out so she can measure him properly. 

Tony has an argument for that, he really does, but Pepper holds up a hand, tilting her head, and if he listens he can hear it too, the soft sound of the armor’s rockets as Rhodey comes into view outside the window. They’ve moved to the upstairs labs to test entirely because there’s easy access to outside, and the quiet sound turns into a much less dignified clank as Rhodey lands and opens the balcony door. He's a little clumsy still, but moving much more easily than his first time on the ground with the armor. Not bad, considering it’s only their second trial.

“Done with the measurements?” Rhodey asks, the faceplate flipping up mid-question, turning his voice from computerized to natural.

“Just about.”

“Good. We can get the production started on the second suit once you get that in, I think we’re ready.” Rhodey’s grin is excited, infectious, and Tony grins back and he’s so fucked.

“Let’s hold off until we’re sure we can get you out of it okay this time,” he says, teasing, and Pepper shoots him a look that says _tell him_ louder than any words could as she straightens up and moves towards the computer.

“What, not going to buy me a drink first?” Rhodey jokes back. Tony has to bite his tongue for a second to stop from letting something stupid spill out, like _I’ll buy you a whole bottle if it makes you interested_ or _name the time and place_ or just _please yes_.

“I always knew you were a cheap date, honeybear,” he says instead, and sits at the computer so he doesn’t sit and stare as the machinery peels away the armor piece by piece. 

He’s so, so fucked, he thinks, for the millionth time in the last eight and a half years, and tries not to look up.

He mostly succeeds, and that’s good enough for him.


End file.
